1. Field Of The Invention
The invention herein pertains to a cart and particularly to a wheeled workcart which includes a movable platform which is pneumatically operated to raise or lower objects contained within the cart for ease in handling.
2. Background And Objectives Of The Invention
Various types of containers or carts which are wheeled or slidable have long been used in factories and other manufacturing facilities for storage, transportation and handling of small objects and parts. It is not unusual during fabrication for many parts to be operated on at two or more workstations before completion. At each station, operators have little trouble and concern when lifting most small workpieces from a cart or container which is substantially full. However, as the cart is emptied, workers often strain and physically extend their back and arms to reach parts which are at the bottom of the cart. Such bending, extending and straining has oftentimes resulted in serious back injuries causing worker's compensation claims, medical bills and loss of work time by the employee. To remedy this problem various kinds of material handling devices have been conceived having lifting mechanisms including manual, spring, electric and air operated lift tables, hydraulic tilters, carts, lift trucks, tilting stations, stands and the like. However, various containers and standard wire sided wheeled carts are still in existence by the thousands throughout United States factories due to their low cost and general suitability for many manufacturing operations.
Thus, with the current background, practices and concerns of manufacturers in mind, the present invention was conceived and one of its objectives is to quickly, readily transform a conventional container into an automated, more convenient ergonomically correct workstation for handling various objects and parts.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a container which includes a platform mechanism which can be pneumatically operated at a workstation.
It is still another objective of the present invention to provide a workcart by retrofitting a conventional cart with a platform which can be pneumatically raised or lowered as desired to an infinite variety of convenient heights.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a workcart having a pneumatically operated platform driven by an air bellows which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and can be easily adjusted by unskilled workers.
Various other objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art as a more detailed description is set forth below.